2018 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.com

2018 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

We're adding a 2018 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4WD with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine and 10-speed transmission to our long-term test fleet.

Read the full story here

sneddren

Has Edmunds ever had a truck with a bed longer than 5.5' in its long term fleet? I have owned lots of trucks over the years and have never had a short bed. It just seems that at some point y'all should have a full sized bed on a truck. It definitely will change the parking lot impressions.

emajor

"We paid full sticker price because this was a custom order"

And thus did Ford rejoice exceedingly. You probably gave them well over 5 figures in profit buying from a class of vehicle in which nearly 5 figures of discounts are baked into every one sitting on a dealer lot.

With those off pavement pics and the intentional selection of the FX4 package, I'm hoping to see an off road comparison between this, the ZR2, and the re-shocked Tacoma.

actualsize

sneddren said:

Has Edmunds ever had a truck with a bed longer than 5.5' in its long term fleet? I have owned lots of trucks over the years and have never had a short bed. It just seems that at some point y'all should have a full sized bed on a truck. It definitely will change the parking lot impressions.

I get it, believe me. I miss the crew cab dually I had when I lived in Az. Our thinking goes like this: 1) We assume nearly anyone can imagine what a 6.5-foot bed can do that a 5-foot bed cannot. 2) crew cab + 5.5-foot bed is the most common configuration sold. 3) subtle differences in 5-foot beds (or cargo management options) may be useful information for buyers who won't pair a 6.5-foot bed with a crew cab -- and that's most of them. 4) even if 2) and 3) were not true, we can't afford to pair a 6.5-foot bed with a crew cab because the extra wheelbase is simply something we cannot easily cope with. Our offices are in a dense part of town with miniature public parking space and parking aisle dimensions; at work we have to park in an underground garage; some of our editors have to park curbside in narrow neighborhoods. It just won't work.

It's crew/short for us, and we figure that 5) the degree with which we struggle with a 5-foot bed (or don't) will help those who aren't sure which bed to buy. I don't think the reverse would be as true if we bought the 6.5-foot bed and always had an easy time of it.

sneddren

actualsize said:

sneddren said:

Has Edmunds ever had a truck with a bed longer than 5.5' in its long term fleet? I have owned lots of trucks over the years and have never had a short bed. It just seems that at some point y'all should have a full sized bed on a truck. It definitely will change the parking lot impressions.

I get it, believe me. I miss the crew cab dually I had when I lived in Az. Our thinking goes like this: 1) We assume nearly anyone can imagine what a 6.5-foot bed can do that a 5-foot bed cannot. 2) crew cab + 5.5-foot bed is the most common configuration sold. 3) subtle differences in 5-foot beds (or cargo management options) may be useful information for buyers who won't pair a 6.5-foot bed with a crew cab -- and that's most of them. 4) even if 2) and 3) were not true, we can't afford to pair a 6.5-foot bed with a crew cab because the extra wheelbase is simply something we cannot easily cope with. Our offices are in a dense part of town with miniature public parking space and parking aisle dimensions; at work we have to park in an underground garage; some of our editors have to park curbside in narrow neighborhoods. It just won't work.

It's crew/short for us, and we figure that 5) the degree with which we struggle with a 5-foot bed (or don't) will help those who aren't sure which bed to buy. I don't think the reverse would be as true if we bought the 6.5-foot bed and always had an easy time of it.

I was prepared to not want to hear an answer but this actually makes sense. It's why I bought a VW Rabbit for in town use and a full size pickup for hunting and hauling. Thanks for the context. I guess it also explains why there's never been one of those ridiculously long extended SUVs in the long term fleet.

actualsize

emajor said:

"We paid full sticker price because this was a custom order"

And thus did Ford rejoice exceedingly. You probably gave them well over 5 figures in profit buying from a class of vehicle in which nearly 5 figures of discounts are baked into every one sitting on a dealer lot.

I got my wires crossed. We didn't pay full fare. I confused this with another vehicle. We paid $54,129, which included a $750 rebate and a discount of nearly $3,000 from Galpin Ford.

uregina09

It's February 15 and still no update since the introduction? I was hoping this long-term test would help me decide whether to order my 2018 F150 with the 2.7 or 3.5 engine.